The Soldier and the Exile
by leonoptrix
Summary: A U.S. Force Recon Marine is taken from his world and sent to the world of Valoran to combat the evil that is slowly corrupting it. Along the way he will meet new allies and make new friends. But will it be enough to save the world and his soul?
1. Chapter 1

The wheels of the C-130 kissed the ground, sending a small jolt through the plane. The inside of the plane, which had been illuminated in soft red light, suddenly became bathed in the harsh light of the desert sun. Soldier sitting in the belly of the cargo plane quickly grabbed their rucksacks and began to disembark.

One of these soldiers stood slower than the rest and waited for the last of the personal to exit the belly of the craft. He was a giant of a man, standing at six foot seven inches. His calm yet assertive demeanor was only enhanced by his straight black hair that fell to about mid way down his forehead and piercing crystal blue eyes.

The man strode down the ramp with long determined steps. His rucksack on his left shoulder, being held securely by his left hand. He stepped out into the blazing sun, his right hand over his eyes, blocking the glare from the sun and allowing him to spot his destination. Across the hot tarmac lied a small tan colored building. This building was the checkpoint for servicemen who wished to check out of the military base. The man shifted his bad onto his right should and began the long walk across the tarmac to the building.

Upon gaining entry, the man swiftly crossed the small waiting room towards the only open receptionist desk. The woman manning the desk looked up in mild surprise at the giant who had suddenly appeared in front of her. She quickly got her voice back and proceeded to ask him why he was her.

"I have been given two weeks of leave and would like to leave the base." he replied with a deep voice.

"What is your name and rate," she asked while her fingers typed on the keyboard, bringing up the proper paperwork for the request.

"First Lieutenant James Carter," came the swift reply from the man now identified as Carter.

The woman quickly typed the data into her computer before giving him the necessary paperwork that gave him clearance to leave the base. With a quick thank you Carter left the building and proceeded to the offsite transportation depot.

Upon arriving at the depot, Carter found a suitable seat in a secluded section of the station and waited for the nest bus to arrive. Little over twenty minutes after sitting down a bus rolled into the station, the message board on the front telling him it was headed to the town of Pocatello.

He headed towards the bus, wanting to be one of the first people on board so he could sit in an area where he would be the least disturbed. After entering the bus, he spotted a row towards the back of the vehicle. Carter quickly sat down in the seat and propped his head against the window and promptly fell asleep.

Line Break

A hand shocked Carter out of his sleep, causing him to jerk forward and reach for the pistol on his right thigh. His hand came up empty as he finally realized where he was.

"Are you okay son?" the bus driver asked as he returned his hand to his side.

Carter looked around the now empty bus before replying, "Yeah, sorry about that I am a restless sleeper."

The bus driver looked at him for a second before turning around and heading towards the front of the bus. With a sigh Carter grabbed his bag and headed towards the front of the bus and the exit. Carter stepped out into the summer night of Pocatello.

Pocatello was a small town with a population of 320. The town was surrounded on all sides by forested mountains. The stars shined bright in the sky, the small town not producing enough light o block them out.

Glancing around Carter quickly spotted a motel, the bright red six allowing him to spot its exact position. After a few minutes of walking Carter rounded a corner and could finally see the motel. He swiftly approached the check in building, the only lights being a single lamp above the glass panel and the red glow of the motel sign.

Carter noticed that no one was manning the window so he rang the service bell. A light turned on in the back, and after some rustling noises a man appeared. He looked Carter up and down before inquiring if he would like a room.

"Yes please," Carter replied.

The man glanced down at the computer before looking back up and asking for how long.

"Just tonight please," Carter said.

"Uh... right," the motel owner replied, "That will be seventy dollars than Mr..."

"Carter."

"Ah, well here is your room key,: said the man while holding out a key, "You are in room seven."

Carter grabbed the key and handed the man his money. Carter thanked the man before turning around and heading towards his motel room.

Carter opened the door to his room and flipped on the lights. He was greeted with the sight of beige colored walls and a bed with a red bedspread. An old TV that was controlled by knobs occupied the only table in the room. The table was flanked by two black chairs. Carter quickly took a seat on one of the chairs and removed his boots and socks. He then hung his jacket on the back of the chair.

The soldier then pulled off the covers of his bed and crawled underneath them. With a tired sigh he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Line Break

The shriek of metal tearing apart brought Carter out of his concussive induced stupor. Looking around Carter quickly took stock of the situation. His platoon had been tasked with escorting a high value target out of the war zone that was Thailand. China had invaded Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines fifteen months ago, sparking the Pacific conflict. Within weeks of their invasion, China had secured a foothold in all the countries around them.

Shorty after their invasion, the United States sent their military to provide aid to their allies. The conflict quickly escalated as combat rolled across the pacific. Following America's lead Australia sent troops to combat the Chinese invasions of the Philippines and Indonesia. for months the US and her allies fought China. After the first wave of landings, special operations task groups were sent to infiltrate and sabotage key enemy positions.

That's what Carter's platoon of Force Recon Marines had been doing for the past seven months. Except now they had to rescue a HVT, and they had been caught.

Carter shook of the haziness and ran towards the nearest cover. bullets pelted the concrete barrier he had taken refuge behind. He shouldered his M4 Carbine and ducked around the corner to get a better look at his surroundings.

The vehicles that they had used for the extraction were strewn across the road. Some of them on fire, the flames licking the bodies of his dead comrades. The enemy fire coming from the thick jungle on both sides of the road drove him back into cover before he could see anymore.

"Wilson," Carter yelled, "Who's still up?"

"Wilson's dead LT," came the reply from Private Ryan, "Bravo squad, the HVT and I are the only ones left sir."

Carter slumped down for a second. He only had nine people left out of a platoon of eighteen men. He quickly gained control of himself and started issuing orders.

"Ryan, I need you to get on the horn and call in close air support."

"Yes sir."

"The rest of you, form a defensive circle around the HVT."

The shattered platoon of marines quickly carried out their leaders orders. The sound of gunfire only intensified as the fight drew on. Soon the sound of jet engines could be heard off in the distance.

"Sir," yelled Ryan over the sound of gunfire, "CAS is on station and awaiting targets."

"Tell them to fire on the green smoke," Carter ordered.

With a few hand gestures two men from the platoon grabbed green smoke grenades and tossed them on either side of the road. The jets came closer and flew overhead as they dropped their payloads.

JDAMs fell from the sky and plummeted towards the earth. Massive explosions rocked the earth as the bombers reached their targets. Shrapnel and dirt rained won on the marines the gunfire slowly died down.

With a sigh of relief Carter began to take stock of the situation when a load bang echoed down the road. Carter whipped around to see the face of Private Ryan contorted in pain.

Line Break

Carter awoke with a gasp. The alarm clock blared in the background as Carter got to his feet and reached for it. The clock read 6:30 a.m. and after setting down the clock, Carter headed towards the bathroom.

After taking a shower Carter quickly donned a camo shirt and pants and grabbed his rucksack before he stepped out into the crisp morning air. Carter crossed the lot and dropped off the key to room he had rented.

Afterwards Carter turned his attention towards breakfast. He wandered around town until he found a family owned diner. He stepped inside and was greeted by the smell of freshly baked apple pie and cinnamon bread. The waitress immediately noticed him and directed him to a seat.

"so what can I get you?" the waitress asked, while her blonde hair seemed to bob back and forth with each word.

"I'll take a slice of apple pie and your strongest cup of coffee please."

"Would you like any cream or sugar with your coffee?" she questioned him while writing in her notepad.

"No thank you," was Carter's reply.

The waitress, having taken his order, turned around headed to the kitchen to give it to the chef. Carter grabbed the newspaper and began to busy himself until his food arrived. He was just finishing up the comics section when the waitress came back with his food and drink.

Carter quickly put the newspaper to the side and dug into his pie. The sweet flavor of the pie contrasting sharply with the bitterness of the black coffee. He polished off the pie in a few minutes and was on his third cup of coffee when the waitress returned to the table with the bill.

"Ma'am, do you know where the nearest camping outfitter is?" he asked before she could leave.

"About three blocks North," she said before going back to her duties.

He said his tanks before going to pay for this meal. He then stepped outside and headed in the direction the waitress had told him. he walked for about ten minutes before he spotted the store.

Upon entering the store, Carter was immediately greeted by the employee manning the checkout counter. "Hi and welcome to the Pocatello fishing and hunting supplier. I hope you find everything you need and if you have any questions just ask me or any other employee you see and we will help you as best as we can," the man said with a smile.

Carter nodded at the man before continuing on into the store. He walked around the store, grabbing different items along the way. He grabbed a lightweight tent, portable stove, titanium pot and enough rations to last four days. He brought the items to the front and quickly paid for them. He put the items into his bag and headed out of town.

Line Break

The soft crunch of boots hitting the forest floor was the only sound that greeted Carter's ears as he scaled the mountains around Pocatello. He breathed steadily as he continued to climb up the mountain. He had been hiking for hours and was now looking for a place to set up camp before night fell.

Just as the sun was starting to slip behind the mountains, Carter found a small lake nestled in a valley surrounded by high peaks on all sides. He quickly descended into the valley before the sun disappeared entirely. He reached the bottom of the valley, and after pushing his way through a thicket of bushes and trees, found himself standing in a small meadow that was adjacent to the lake. Carter quickly set up his tent, and after having dinner he got in his sleeping bag and went to sleep.

A loud whooshing noise woke Carter up in the middle of the night. He jerked up and looked around wild eyed before he noticed light coming through the side of the tent. He quickly donned his boots and digital camo clothes before venturing outside.

He unzipped the tent and stepped outside and noticed that the lake was now glowing an eerie blue. He walked closer to the lake, hoping to get a better look at what could be casing the phenomenon. He reached the edge of the water, and the blue glow started to pulsate at a regular interval.

Carter stumbled back in surprise as he watched the pulse slowly quicken. He started to walk backwards as he watched the lake, when the pulsing suddenly stopped. He stood their motionless before a massive explosion erupted from the center of the lake. Carter quickly turned around and ran as a wave of what looked like blue fire hurtled towards him. The fire collided with the trees around the lake, causing massive explosions and leaving behind dead and burnt husks.

Carter felt the heat from the wave o his back and tried to dive behind a boulder in an attempt to escape it. But the fire engulfed Carter before he could reach safety. The fire seared and boiled Carter's skin, he tried to open his mouth to scream but only succeeded in bringing the fire into his lungs. The shockwave that had been following the fire lifted Carter off of his feet and flung him hundreds of feet into the side of the mountain. Carter managed to get to his knees before the pain became too much and he collapsed. He breathed on last painful breath before the cold embrace of death took him.

Line Break

The sound of rocks crashing onto the ground pulled Carter out of his sleep. He slowly opened his eyes and winced because of the harsh white light in the room. After his yes had adjusted to the light, Carter noticed that he was in a glass tube filled with liquid and he was breathing through some type of device attached to his face.

The room itself was colored white and had all sorts of medical equipment scattered across it. The far left corner held an operation table directly across from it had what looked like x-ray pictures hanging on it.

The door on the far side of the room opened suddenly and two men came running into the room. They crossed the distance to where he was floating and turned to each other. The one wearing what looked like combat armor pointed to the panel on the side of the tube. The man wearing the lab coat shook his head and was about to say something when the room suddenly shook. The two men quickly dived out of the way as the ceiling in front of the pod collapsed.

The military man got back on his feet and before the man in the lab coat could protest, he clicked the button on the side of the tube. The liquid Carter was suspended in started to drain out of the tube and after it had all left, the class door slid up and Carter collapsed onto his hands and knees before ripping off the mask on his face.

"Quick," said the man in the military uniform, "you need to get the subject out of here before Viktor overruns our defenses.

The man in the lab coat lifted Carter to his feet and slung an arm over his shoulder before helping him out the door. Carter looked up to see a long gray hallway with lights stretching down it. The ground started to rumble and before anyone could react a large chunk of concrete broke off from the ceiling and crashed into the duo.


	2. Chapter 2

The sound of distant voices brought carter out of the dark void that was surrounding him. Carter opened his to see a blue sky and the first thing he felt… was searing pain all throughout his body. the world snapped into focus as he tried to open his mouth to scream but no sound came out. Just as the pain became unbearable a hand flew above him and plunged a syringe full of a purple liquid into his chest. The green liquid was shot into his blood stream and just like that, the pain was gone.

"That should be better," came a male voice to the right of his vision, "how are you feeling subject 027?"

Carter tried to lift himself up, but only succeeded in propping himself up with his elbows before the searing pain returned. With a cry of surprise Carter fell back onto the ground.

Ah yes," came the voice again, "the injection I gave you will take some time to course through your system before you feel no more pain."

"Good to know," was Carter's only response.

"Hey doc, how is he doing?" came a new voice from the left side of his view.

In an attempt to get a better look at the people who were talking, Carter once again lifted himself off of the ground. This time he made it to a sitting position without pain.

"It seems like he's doing rather well," came the reply from a pail man on his right.

Carter looked at the man intently, making sure he would memorize the way that the man looked. from where Carter was sitting, the man looked about five foot six inches. He had a while lab coat on that contrasted sharply with his black pants. His blonde hair hung loosely across his face, covering his purple eyes.

"Well that's a relief, when that slab of concrete landed on top of him I thought he was a goner," said the dark skinned man on his left.

Carter also studied this man. The man was wearing what looked like a battle uniform made out of gray fabric that had plates covering the arms, torso and legs. The insignia his shoulder showed that he was a Major in some kind of military.

With practiced ease carter leapt to his feet and saluted him. The Major looked at him with surprise before realizing what was going on.

"At ease soldier," the Major said with a grin on his face.

Carter moved to a relaxed position while the doctor walked around him. The doctor went to grab Carter's arm, but Carter reacted quickly and grabbed onto the man's arm, spun him around and pinned it to his back before anyone could move a muscle. Carter blinked rapidly, trying his best to comprehend what had just happened. He had never reacted to a threat that fast. What was happening to him?

The sound of a hammer being locked into place quickly brought Carter out of his thoughts. "Now son, release the nice man before I am forced to put a bullet in your head," the Major said while leveling a gray pistol at Carter.

Carter looked from the Major to the Doctor frantically for a few seconds before releasing his captive. The doctor stumbled forward and nursed his right arm. Carter looked between the two men before nodding his head and muttering an apology.

"It's alright Carter you were only doing what comes naturally," the doctor said, "but on the bright side we know that at least some of your upgrades have taken effect."

"Upgrades," Carter questioned.

The two mystery men looked at each other before looking back at Carter. "Uh, yes… before we go into too much detail let's start at the beginning."

"Beginning of what," Carter asked as the duo sat down on the soft grass of the small clearing. Carter quickly followed suit, positioning himself in front of the men.

"So let's start of with introductions," the doctor said. "This is Major Willhelm and I'm Doctor Evans. The Major here was responsible for the security of the base we were stationed at, while I on the other hand was the lead project director.

"Project director of what, and how do you know my name," Carter inquired.

"I was the director of your recovery Carter, and we know your name because we found a form of I.D. on your person."

Carter looked at the men for a few seconds before forming a new question. "Where am I? The last thing I remember is a burning sensation as I tried crawling away from a wall of blue fire."

"Ah yes, teleportation to another dimension is a rather painful experience."

"I'm sorry, did you say another dimension," Carter asked incredulously.

"Yes Carter, you are in the world of Runeterra. We brought you here because we need your help."

"Wait, let's just say I believe you for a second and you actually brought me here to help you. what the hell can I do that your own people can't. I mean you took me from my own dimension and you can't solve whatever problem you brought me here for?"

"We have already tried Carter, but we haven't had a war like what is coming in over 150 years. None of us are prepared for the conflict. We need someone who is an expert in this field and has a heart of honor."

Carter snorted before saying, "Well I'm sorry doctor, but you have the wrong man for that."

"Do you really think we would go through all the trouble of summoning you and not be one hundred percent sure of our decision," Major Willhelm countered.

Carter scrunched his eyes at this. If this was all true, then how was he summoned here. Better yet how would he get back home? Did he even want to go back home? His family was dead, platoon destroyed and the world was in chaos. But he did have a duty to protect and serve the country he loved.

"First off how did you get me here? And how will you get me back," Carter inquired.

"To answer your first question, we used an old form of magic to create a bridge connection our two realities. Then it was just a matter of pulling you through. And we don't have a way to return you yet," the Doctor said.

Carter looked at the Doctor like he was crazy, "did you say magic?"

"yes," the man said while summoning a ball of fire in his hand. "It's one of the things the sets our realty apart from yours."

"So, you can't return me yet? Why not?"

"Well at the moment, we don't have the resources to spare. Everything we have is being sued in the fight against Viktor. But if you help us defeat him, we can find a way to send you back."

"Alright," Carter said, "where do we start?"

"Not so fast Carter, we still need to train you to be a summoner," the Major said from his sitting position.

"Summoner?"

"Hold on Major, before we get too far into our political sphere let's give him the details on his augmentations."

"Wait… what?"

"Well Carter when you came through the teleportation device you were near death. It took the best technicians and magicians to keep you alive. WE had to restructure parts of your skeletal system, rebuild all the major organs and overhaul your now inadequate nervous system. So as a consequence you are stronger faster and capable of taking an immense amount of physical punishment."

"So I'm a super solider," Carter queried.

"In a way, yes. You can run faster, hit harder and think quicker than most if not all humans in this world. We also gave you the ability to conjure magic," the Doctor stated.

"Of course it will take some time for all of these augmentations to take effect. But while that is happening we will continue to train you as a summoner. And before you ask again I will explain what a summoner is and why it's so important that you are trained to be one."

The Doctor and Major exchanged looks before the Doctor cleared his throat. "So for the last three hundred years major wars have ravaged this world. In these conflicts called the Rune Wars, caused enormous amounts of magic to be expended. Over time this magic has started to destabilize the world. There are barren lands that exist where once thriving forests ruled. A powerful organization of wizards banded together in hopes of stopping another Rune War. For if another war is come about, the world of Runeterra will be destroyed. They have thus far managed to avert many disasters by creating the Institute of War. In this Institute countries and city states fight battles on a simulated battlefield. The victors of these matches get whatever was being fought over as a prize. The matches are held in a special arena called Summoners Rift, here the excess magic that is released is disposed of safely. Each city state is allowed to field champions, these champions fight for their home state over political matters. While there are a lot of champions that have ties to city states, many of the champions that exist have no allegiance. These champions are free to be hired by any organization, as long as the pay is right or their goals are the same. While champions fight on the rift, they do not fight alone. summoners are powerful wizards that conjure the champions onto the battlefield. The champion and summoner fight together, combining their strength and skill in an effort to defeat their opponent."

The Major spoke up next, "While anyone can apply to be a champion, only very powerful beings or exceptionally gifted people can make it past the evaluation stage. We are training you to be a summoner because it will be easier for you to stay under the radar and the training time for being a summoner is much shorter than trying to be a champion."

"Wait," Carter said, "are you telling me that an organization like the United Nations in my world has managed to reduce conflict between powerful nations to ten people on a simulated battlefield? Are you bullshitting me right now? The United Nations in my world couldn't stop a small skirmish let alone a global conflict from starting, what makes your organization so different?"

"Power Carter, the Institute of War has some of the most powerful objects in the world. And is not afraid to use them for the betterment of the world," said the Doctor.

"I see," was Carter's only response.

"Anyway, along with training you to be a summoner, we will also give you lessons on wielding the most common melee weapons in this world," said the Doctor.

"Alright, when do we start?"

"Right now," the Major said while standing up.

Line Break

The trio walked into a clearing a short distance away from their camp. The clearing was surrounded on all sides by tall deciduous trees. Cutting a clean path through the clearing was a small creek, the water trickling calmly down the creek bed. The Major led the Carter into the center of the clearing while Doctor Evans stopped at the edge and sat down. In the center of the meadow a number of weapon racks were set up. He grabbed a pair of swords and tossed one to Carter.

"Alright Carter, I will be your weapons instructor and the doc here will be your arcane arts instructor. We will start off with the basic sword and move on to more advanced weapons from there. What I just handed you now is a practice sword, the edge had been dulled so it won't cut, but it will still hurt like a bitch. So try not to get hit."

With that the Major leapt forward swinging his sword for a swipe across Carter's chest. With inhuman speed Carter brought up his sword to block the strike. The sound of metal striking metal filled the air. As Carter was processing this, he felt a blunt pain on his right side.

"Your dead Carter! I just cut your spine in half, collapsed your lung and crushed your esophagus," Major Willhelm said while gesturing towards Carter's chest.

The Major backed up and once again attacked Carter. Carter blocked his strike and this time focused solely on the fight. The Major launched strike after strike, many of them being blocked due to Carter's sheer speed but a fair amount making it through his defenses. After a few minutes of this the Major stopped the onslaught.

Carter took this moment to take off his shirt in an effort to cool himself off. His well toned white skin contrasted sharply with the dark grey scars that crisscrossed his torso. It was at this moment that Carter noticed something new on his left pectoral. A green tattoo of a shattered sword dominated that region of his skin. He looked at it for a few seconds before glancing at the Major.

"What the hell is this?" He questioned, "I've never seen this tattoo before."

"You haven't? We had assumed you already had it when you came through the portal. I wonder where it came from," the Major pondered.

"Well is it dangerous?" inquired Carter

"Hey doc!" the Major yelled while gesturing towards Carter, "that tattoo's not gonna blow up or anything right?"

The Doctor stood up and headed towards the two men, "what are you going on about Willhelm?"

"Carter here says that he has never seen this tattoo before, and we didn't give it to him. So I was wondering how it got on him."

The Doctor glanced at the tattoo for a few seconds before speaking, "well when we ran screenings on Carter it never raised any red flags, so it must be an anomaly from the inter-dimensional travel. I wouldn't worry about it Carter, it's probably just a mark or stamp left behind from your transport."

With that the Doctor walked back to the tree line and the two men resumed their training.

Line Break

"Okay Carter I want you to calm you mind. Look inward and focus on the energy you have in your body. Tell me when you think you've found it." Doctor Evans said.

Carter was sitting cross legged in front of Doctor Evens with his eyes closed, attempting to find the natural energy that all mages had within themselves. The same energy that allowed them to cast spells and incantations.

"I think I got it Doctor," Carter said in a strained voice.

"Alright, now I want you to focus on that energy. Try and bring it out, let it flow through your body and into your fingertips. From there you will be able to cast your spells. Now because you are a beginner at this you will have to speak the words for any incantation you want, but once you get stronger and have practiced more you will be able to summon them using your mind. Okay Carter, I want you to try and summon a healing spell, think about a cooling breeze flowing through your mind and-"

"Like this Doctor?"

The Doctor looked up from his meditation to see a green glow surrounding Carter's hand. "How did yo-... never mind, that's exactly what you are supposed to do Carter. Your natural ability far surpasses what I had predicted Carter. With the proper training you will be a very powerful mage."

"Thanks Doctor," Carter said while staring at his hand, "so what do we do next?"

"Now we go over the different spells that summoners are allowed to use in the Institute of War. Now during a fight on the rift, summoners are allowed to use certain spells that can inflict harm on enemies, protect allies or can be used for strategic purposes. Let's start with the two most common spells flash and ignite. Flash is a point to point teleportation spell that moves your champion a short distance in any direction you choose. It can be used to cross over certain terrain, chase down enemies or retreat from a fight. Ignite on the other hand is a purely offensive spell. As the name says, you choose an enemy champion to ignite and after casting the spell the target that was selected takes damage over time until it wears off."

The two men talked for hours, Doctor Evans explaining what different spells did and how to use them effectively in combat. Carter practiced summoning each spell, showing his natural talent at using magic. Eventually Carter grew tired and the two men retired for the night.

Line Break

(Three months later)

The clash of metal on metal rung through the forest. Major Willhelm and Carter stood apart, swords in front of them as they eyed each other. Major Willhelm made the first move, swinging his sword diagonally to Carter's left. Steel met steel as Carter blocked the strike. Carter used Willhelm's momentum against him, slipping his sword down the blade of the Major's weapon. The action caused the Major to stumble forward, straight into the swinging fist of Carter. With a resounding crack the Major fell to the ground, a fresh cut above his right eye. The Major looked around, disoriented before he noticed that the tip of a blade was hovering above his throat.

"I yield Carter," the Major said with a chuckle. The blade was replaced by a hand, which the Major took. Carter lifted the Major off of the ground, then sheathed his sword in the scabbard on his left hip. The Major dusted his clothes off before also sheathing his weapon.

"Well Carter, I do believe you have bested me once again," the Major stated, "I do believe that your physical training is complete. Let's go find the doc and tell him the news."

The two men walked through the forest, following a well worn path through the trees. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Carter spoke up. "If my training is up Major, does that mean I will be heading to the Institute soon?"

"Yes Carter, we can't teach you anything else here. The rest of your training will have to be real world experiences."

With those words the two men set off at a jog towards their campsite. About an hour later the men arrived to see the doctor sitting down in front of a fire, the light casting shadows across the nearby trees. Willhelm sat down next to Evans while Carter took a seat across from the two men. The Major leaned over to the Doctor and started whispering to him, but due to Carter's advanced hearing he could tell exactly what they were saying.

"Are you sure Willhelm?" the Doctor said.

"Absolutely, he has bested me in combat for weeks now and I've taught him everything I know. And from what I've gathered he's more than strong enough to pass the entrance exams for being a summoner," the Major replied.

"Alright then, if you think he's ready then we have no other choice than to send him on his way," the Doctor whispered.

"Carter, you can stop eavesdropping on our conversation now," the Major said with a smirk.

Carter looked up with a shocked face before he started grinning. "Guilty," he said while spreading his hands out to his sides.

"Well since you heard all that, there's no point in repeating it," the Doctor said, "but the real question is, do you think you're ready?"

Carter looked between the two men for a few seconds before nodding his head. "I've trained for this for three months now, without any real world experience I won't be getting any better."

"Alright then, tomorrow we strike camp and head for the Institute of War," Evans said while standing up, "now if you gentlemen will excuse me I am going to get some much needed sleep."

"Same here," the Major said.

"See you two in the morning," Carter said while looking at the fire.

The Major and Doctor walked to their tents, leaving Carter alone in the night. He stared at the fire few awhile before also getting up and walking towards his tent. With a sigh he crawled inside and crashed down onto the blankets that served as his bed. The last thing he saw before sleep claimed him was the gentle swaying of his tent walls moving in the breeze.

Line Break

"Stay down!" Carter whispered fiercely at the VIP and the only surviving member of his platoon.

"Corporal Banks give me the radio," Carter ordered in a low voice.

The Corporal crept towards Carter who was at the top of a ridge overlooking a village in southern Thailand. He handed the radio to Carter before moving back towards the rear of the small group.

Carter brought the radio up to his lips and contacted his superiors. "Command, this is Omega Actual. Do you read?"

The radio crackled to life, "Five by Five Omega Actual, what's the situation?"

"Most of my squad is KIA command, and I got a village full of hostiles and civilians blocking our exfil."

"Roger Omega Actual, send coordinates for tactical airstrike."

"Excuse me? Command there are civilians down there, we can't just bomb the village."

"Omega Actual, the VIP you are escorting is vital to the war effort. We cannot run the risk of him being captured or killed. Send those coordinates, that's an order."

"Yes command," Carter said with a heavy sigh.

 **So I originally wanted to get this chapter out last Sunday, but a combination of me being lazy, college and a Star Wars marathon over the weekend kinda destroyed that idea. But hey I got it done! I would like to thank you guys for reading this story and I hope you like it. In the next chapter we will finally meet Riven and the rest of the Institute of War. I will try to make this a bi-weekly update and now that most of the major work in my college classes are dome I should be able to meet this quota. Unless I decide to just binge out on league. Anyway! Please leave a review, I always love to know what people think about my writing. If it sucks and needs work let me know! If you love it and want me to continue drop a review and hit that favorite button. That's all for now, see you guys later.**


	3. Chapter 3

The carriage jolted on the cobblestone road, awakening Carter from his sleep. He looked at the two other passengers in the carriage. Doctor Evans and Major Willhelm sat across from him, their sleep not disturbed in the least by the rough carriage ride. Carter's gaze shifted to the window next to him, the forests had long since disappeared and was replaced by green rolling hills going miles in all directions before being stopped by jagged snow covered mountains in the distance. The carriage shifted towards the right of the road to avoid what looked like a family of merchants, the father and son leading the train of horses and mules while the mom and daughter sat upon the leading animals. Carter got a good look at the faces of the family as they passed by, they looked tired but happy. A far cry from the citizens of his world when he had left.

A sudden noise from the front of the carriage garnered his attention. He glanced forward and saw that the Doctor and Major were both awake and were looking at him. The doctor looked out the window before speaking, "it looks like we should be at the Institute in around an hour, should we go over your cover story one last time?"

Carters nod was all the Doctor got as he started to rehearse the details again. "Alright Carter let's start at the beginning. You were born in Demacia to a middle class merchant family. You attended the private school of The Lightshields for 14 years before joining the Damacian military, where you served for six years before joining the Summoners Training Academy. You studied to be summoner for two years and once you had graduated you headed to the Institute to become a summoner. But because your family does not have high status you don't have a letter of recommendation from the King. So you are applying to be a representative for the independent city states."

With that Doctor Evans went into greater depth, explaining the ins and outs of his fake life. Major Willhelm went over Carter's military career and was just finishing when the carriage stopped in front of a very large white building. Carter opened the door of the carriage and stepped out, his gaze never leaving the building that dominated the landscape. Hundreds of white marble steps lead to the entrance of the monstrous pantheon. The building itself reminded Carter of the temples that the Ancient Greek were known for. Dozens of black and white marble columns supported the colossal roof of the pantheon. Carter shifted his gaze to the right and saw that a wing made in the same style jutted out from the main complex. A quick glance to the other side showed that the protrusion was mirrored on the left side of the building.

Carter stood at the bottom of the stairs, his gaze consumed by the impressive sight. People shuffled past him going about their business, completely oblivious to the magnificent sight in front of them. A hand suddenly grabbed onto Carters shoulder and spun him around. The owner of the hand was soon identified as Major Evans. The Major looked at Carter for a few moments, seeming to study him before opening his mouth to speak. "Well Carter, this is goodbye. The doc and I won't be able to follow anymore, we have to back and stall Viktor and his army while you figure out how to defeat him. Just remember what we taught you and you will be fine," with those words the Major stepped back into the carriage, sidestepping around Doctor Evans who was also giving Carter his last words.

"Carter, it has been an interesting experience to say the least," the Doctor said while smiling. He reached into his coat and pulled out a brown package with a letter tied onto it with twine. "Your first mission is in the envelope Carter, and in the package you will find all the items we could recover from your body when it came through the rift and a communications device if you ever need to get into contact with us or vice versa," the Doctor said while handing him the package and letter. The Doctor having said his piece, turned around and also got into the carriage. The carriage driver cracked his whip and the horses sped down the road.

With a sigh Carter tucked the package into his coat, turned around and started his climb up the white stairs. While he was climbing he saw some very strange sights. Coming down the steps were what he could have sworn were two fish creatures. The one holding a trident looked weapon had tentacles one his head that made him looked like a blue octopus or squid and the other one had the tale of a fish but from the front of her torso and up she looked like a regular human female. Carter stared at the two of them for a few moments before they walked (swam?) out of sight. Carter resumed his climb up the stairs, keeping a lookout for any more strange creatures. Upon reaching the top of the stairs he was greeted with a large archway that lead into the foyer of the Institute of War.

Carter glanced around the area, his eyes never settling on one thing for too long. Hundreds of humans and creatures of all types greeted his eye as they ran around the complex going about their business. The creatures that he saw ranged from what looked like small furry humanoids to bears walking on their hinds legs to giants made of rock walking around. Carter steadied himself and entered into the busy room. He juked and dodged people who seemed more involved in themselves than their surrounding, not noticing that he was right in front of them. After a few moments of this Carter finally reached what looked like a help center and got into line.

After what felt like hours Carter eventually arrived at the front of the line. As he stepped up he at long last got a good view of the person behind the counter. Or what he could of them, they were cloaked in a brown robe and their hood was up the only thing that was visible was the light reflecting of the persons eyes. "Hello and welcome to the Institute of War," the person said in a smooth female voice, "how may I help you?"

"Which direction is the summoners application office," Carter inquired.

The lady behind the counter reached under her desk and pulled out what looked like a map of the grounds. She quickly muttered an enchantment underneath her breath and handed it to Carter. "That will guide you to the office," she said with a smile in her voice. Carter looked at the map and headed in the direction the map was telling him to go in. As he walked away he could hear the woman yelling, "next!"

Line Break

Carter rounded the last corner and saw his destination at the end of the hallway. Printed on the door were the words _Summoners Application Office_. Carter tucked the map into his jacket and headed towards the office. Upon reaching the door he carefully opened it and peaked inside. The office looked like a regular office in his world. White cubicles separated workers and at the front of the office stood a receptionists desk. After taking his cursory look Carter opened the door all the way and stepped inside. Upon gaining entrance the receptionist looked up and gestured for him to come over.

After reaching the desk he was immediately inquired upon. "Hello, how may I help you," she asked with a smile. "I've come here to apply for a position as a summoner," Carter stated.

"Alright then, if you could just follow me," she said while standing up. Carter trailed after the woman, constantly checking his surroundings for anything out of the ordinary. He snorted to himself as he thought about what out of the ordinary was anymore. " _I wouldn't be surprised to see a talking ball of sludge at this point_ ," Carter thought. After following the woman for a few moments she turned a sharp corner and stopped at a seemingly random cubicle. "Hey Rose, I got a applicant here that needs to fill out the basic information packet and have his screening," she said.

"Alright," a cold voice replied.

The receptionist patted Carter on the shoulder as she passed by him. "Good luck," she said. Carter walked into the cubicle to see a middle aged woman with brown hair and green eyes tapping on a blue orb on her desk before she looked up at him. "So, you want to be a summoner," she stated. "Yes ma'am," Carter said. The woman pulled open a drawer on her desk and took out a large stack of legal forms. She set the papers on the desk and gestured for Carter to take a seat on the chair in front of her desk. As Carter was sitting the woman spoke up, "fill these forms out and then sign this release form that states we aren't liable for any physical, emotion or mental damage done to you by our test." With those words she handed Carter a pen and looked back at her blue orb.

Carter flipped through the forms, and filled out any relevant information. After reaching the end he double and triple checked the forms before he handed them back to the woman. She took the documents and filled them away in one of her bins before standing up and gesturing for him to follow her. Carter tailed her for a few minutes, before eventually coming upon a white door. "Through these doors is the reflection chamber, every champion and summoner who participates in the Institute of War must first pass the challenges that lie ahead. I will warn you that what lies beyond that door will test you. The mages will dive into your subconscious and discover why you truly are here," the woman said while walking away. "I wish you luck sir."

Carter took a deep breath and steeled himself for the challenges he was about to face. Carter walked towards the doors with resolve in his step. He pushed open the doors and was walked into the chamber. What he saw was a bright light that prevented him from seeing anything of detail in the room. He raised his hand above his eyes in an attempt to get a better view, but the attempt was in vain. Just as Carter opened his mouth to voice a question a voice echoed throughout the chamber. "James Carter! Why do you seek entrance as a summoner into the Institute of War," the voice questioned. "I wish to defend those who cannot defend themselves," Carter replied. "We will see what you true intentions are Carter," the voice said. " _I really hope this memory distortion technique the Doctor taught me works_ ," Carter thought before his whole world dissolved into darkness.

-Beginning of Flash Back-

The sound of swords clashing and screaming filled the air as Carter regained his senses. He glanced around him and saw a battlefield. But this was not just any battlefield, this was where he was ordered to attack a village full of citizens and enemies to ensure the safety of his VIP. Hundreds of bodies littered the streets, and the smell of burning bodies permeated the air. Carter hefted his sword and looked around for the man he was escorting. He found the man cowering in a nearby house, the front door having been kicked in and ransacked by passing enemy troops. Carter grabbed the man roughly by his shirt and hauled the man along with him. They walked across a few streets before coming upon a sight that chilled Carter to the bone.

In front of him the enemy troops had lined up the villages in execution style. In front of each man, woman and child stood a soldier with his weapon drawn. Carter watched on in horror as the Captain ordered the execution of the villagers. As the villagers were relentlessly chopped down, Carter grabbed the man and walked the other way. "Aren't you going to do something soldier," his charge yelled at him. "What can I do old man? My job is to escort you out of this cluster fuck and get you to my commanding officers. Besides even if I did help them I'm just one man, my entire squad is dead. It's just you and me, now let's move it," Carter ordered while pushing the man forward.

The two men ran between the building, dodging patrols while they crossed the village. They eventually arrived at the end of the village, the only thing between them and freedom was a squad of soldiers who were at the moment distracted by a family of four. The family backed away from the soldiers in a vain attempt to get away, but they quickly ran out of room as they ran into the front of a house. Before Carter could sneak past them, his charge grabbed him by the shoulder and whispered to him, "are you not going to help them? You are a soldier aren't you, defender of the weak?"

Carter glanced back at the family for a few moments before once again walking away from them down a dark alley filled with smoke. Before he could take more than three steps he heard a commotion coming from behind him followed by yelling. Carter whirled around and saw that the man he had been escorting now stood between the family and the soldier armed with a rock. Carter drew his sword and ran into the backs of the soldiers, quickly cutting down two of them before the other three realized what was happening. The soldiers turned around and swiftly surrounded Carter who had dropped into a defensive stance, trying his best to keep all the men in his vision. One man tried to circle around his back, but was quickly distracted by the VIP, who jumped on the man's back and started pummeling him with the rock in his hand.

The other soldiers looked on in surprise and moved their attention off of Carter. Carter leapt forward and brought his sword up in a diagonal slash across the chest of the man on his right. The man fell down in a cry off pain, which caught the attention of the soldier on Carter's left. With a vicious slash, Carter detached the man's head from his shoulders before he had a chance to bring his weapon to bear. With the two men in front of him dead, Carter rounded on the man who had tried to flank him only to see the soldier laying on the ground with a massive gash on his forehead. Carter looked up from the body to see the VIP helping the family up from their position on the ground. Carter walked up behind the VIP and could hear the family thanking the two men for saving their lives. "No problem. Now get out of the city before any more men show up okay?" the VIP said while shooing them away.

The VIP turned towards Carter before speaking again, "See it wasn't that difficult now was it," the man inquired. Carter looked at him for a few minutes before walking away. "Killing the soldiers wasn't, but I'm afraid you only prolonged the inevitable. How long do you think that family will last before being found by another patrol," Carter asked while walking back down the alley and into the night.

-End of Flash Back-

Carter collapsed onto his hands and knees and gasped for breath. Before he could recover fully the voice from before once again filled the room. "So that is why you wish to defend the weak. You wish to atone for your past mistakes, and you think that becoming a summoner for the Institute of War is the only way you can," the voice stated. As Carter rose to his feet the voice once again returned, "very well Carter, you have passed your test and we will allow you into the Institute." A previously hidden door open across the room and as Carter walked towards it the voice spoke for the final time. "Welcome Carter, to the League of Legends."

Line Break

"If you would just follow me this way Carter, we will get you set up as a new summoner," Rose said as she walked down one of the many halls that created the labyrinth of a building some called the Institute of war. As Carter followed after the blonde he mulled over what he had been shown in the reflection chamber. It looked like the memory distortion technique had worked, because what he saw was not truly what happened. While the basic premise was the same, the murdering of those villagers was not done by the soldiers. Instead it was he who did it, he called in the airstrike that killed all those soldiers and villagers. He found that family of four dead at the outskirts of the village.

Before Carter could blame himself anymore he was brought out of his self-condemnation by Rose. "In here Carter," Rose said as she held open a door that read requisitions. Carter walked inside and was greeted with the sight of a large half circle desk that dominated the center of the room. Behind it were rows upon rows of shelves containing who knew what. As he stood there taking it in Rose passed him and flagged down one of the assistants manning the counter. Carter quickly walked behind her in order to hear what she was saying to aid.

"Okay Martin, we have a new summoner here so get him the regular package," Rose said as the man who she was talking to spun around and dashed into the shelves. "What is a regular package," Carter inquired.

"Right, a regular package has all the basic items that a aspiring summoner needs. You are given two robes, a summoning orb, a beginners guide to battles in the Summoners Rift and the key to your apartment," Rose said. "Wait, did you say apartment?"

"Yes, every summoner is given an apartment with basic appliances and a bed. After your provisionals you will be able to afford a better apartment depending on your division," Rose said before the man she was talking to before walked up behind her. "Here you are Rose," he said while handing the package to her. The man looked at Carter and said, "good luck with your provisionals summoner."

With that Carter and Rose left the room and entered back into the hallway. Rose handed the package over to Carter before removing a small card that was attached to the front of it. "Looks like you are in room 329, that's the unaffiliated section. Just follow the signs and you will find your room with ease," Rose said as she handed the card to Carter. "I have to go back, but if you have any questions don't hesitate to contact us using your summoning orb. Oh and before I forget, your provisionals will start tomorrow. You will have five tomorrow and then five the next day. Afterwards you will be placed into a division and may start representing city states in international matters." With those words Rose spun on her heal and started walking down the hall.

Carter looked for a sign that would point him in the right direction, and within a few moments of looking he found one. He followed the signs for a about half an hour before coming upon his door. With a sigh of relief Carter used the blue summoning orb to open the door and walked inside. He placed the package he had received from Martin on the kitchen table and took stock of his new apartment. It was fairly small, but that was to be expected. The front door led directly into the small living room which held a couch, plush chair and coffee table which sat across from a console that held what looked like a bigger version of his summoning orb. The kitchen was separated by a wall that went about halfway down the length of the two rooms. The kitchen was composed of a stove, pantry, sink and what looked like a fridge. Across from the kitchen was a table that could fit four people and behind that was another door that led into his bedroom.

Carter walked into his bedroom and saw that a king size bed dominated the center of the room. Of to the left stood a wardrobe and dresser. Beside the bed stood a nightstand with a small electrical lamp on it. Carter looked to the right and saw another door, which he assumed was the bathroom. He walked over to it and upon opening it, his assumption was confirmed. A shower with green frosted glass dominated one side of the bathroom. The other side was taken up by a vanity with a small sink on it, and just behind it stood a toilet.

With his examination of the room over, Carter walked back into the kitchen and grabbed the package he had left on the table. He brought it into his bedroom and unpacked it. The robes went into the wardrobe, he pocketed the summoners orb and put the guide onto his nightstand so he could read it at a later date. With that taken care of Carter pulled out the package that the Doctor had given him early in the day. He set the package on his bed and proceeded to open it.

He turned the package over and dumped the contents onto his bed. Carter tossed the wrapping away and glanced at the objects on his bed. His wallet, smart phone, Glock 17 and two magazines for the pistol were strewn across the fabric. Carter quickly set the items down on his nightstand and after removing his pants and shirt, Carter settled into bed and went to sleep.

Line Break

A soft noise woke Carter up and upon further investigation Carter saw that it was his summoners orb. Carter quickly rose out of bed and tapped the summoners orb to shut off the orb. As Carter was getting dressed, the orb once again started beeping at him. Curiously Carter grabbed the orb to see that there was a message for him. He clicked on the message to open it and saw that it was a summons for him. The message said that he was being summoned to another testing chamber. The message did not say what the test entailed, but Carter got the feeling it would be critical to how he completed his mission at the Institute.

Hey guys, it's Leo here. I'm sorry for the late update. In truth this chapter has been about 95% percent done for two or so weeks but I just now got around to finishing it, also I'm still not totally happy with how I ended it but it should still work for what I have planned. I don't really have an excuse for this chapter being late but I do have an explanation. It was a combination of me being lazy, finals and a new job so I didn't really have the time or effort to put into it. So sorry about that! But now that Christmas break has started I should have a lot more time to write for you guys. Anyway I hope you all have a good day (or night, or morning) and a merry Christmas!


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